Phil Collins Hints at a Comeback: 'I Never Say Exactly Never' Ahead of Rock Hall Induction

Phil Collins says he is not finished yet. The 75-year-old singer and drummer, who has not performed since Genesis wrapped its farewell tour in 2022, told the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in a new interview that he still thinks about going back on the road — and about making music again. "I never say exactly never," he said. "Every now and again, I think about, well, going out on the road again. ... So I do think every now and again that I haven't finished."

Collins also vowed in a separate interview with The New York Times that he will one day return to the working studio in the basement of his home in Switzerland. "At one point, if I went down there, it meant work," he said. "But I will get down there." He added that he has songs finished and others half finished: "I've got things I've finished. I've got things that I've half finished. So who knows? I'm now back to being where I think I could do it."

The remarks come days before Collins is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for a second time, as a solo artist, at a ceremony on Saturday, November 14, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. He was first inducted as a member of Genesis in 2010. This year's class also includes Oasis, Billy Idol, Sade, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Luther Vandross, Wu-Tang Clan and Queen Latifah.

Collins will not perform at Saturday's ceremony because of the health problems that have kept him off the stage since 2022, and it is not clear whether he will appear to accept the honor. His last concert was on March 26, 2022, at the O2 Arena in London, the final show of Genesis' farewell tour. Organ failure nearly cost him his life after that tour, and after several surgeries he now walks with assistance.

A comeback tour would be a major undertaking, and Collins himself sounded cautious: a short run of shows would not be "financially practical," he said, and whether he can return to the stage remains uncertain. But for fans who feared his performing days were over, the message was clear — the door is open. "I haven't finished," he said.